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Tasting Notes
The 2016 Branon offers a huge hit of ripe, juicy hedgerow fruits right from the off, with mulberry, damson and blackberry rushing out the glass. The first sip offers black pepper and elderberry, moving into more savoury porcini mushrooms, dark chocolate and game with time in the mouth. Ripe, sticky tannins, paired with refreshing menthol and cranberry, give the wine an incredibly well-rounded, full body. While clean and precise, there is great generosity and depth here.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Neal Martin, Vinous
James Molesworth, Wine Spectator
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Branon has a gorgeous bouquet of black cherries, raspberry coulis, cedar and black olive aromas that burst from the glass. The medium-bodied palate delivers supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity, plenty of black-olive-tinged fruit and a lightly spiced, cohesive, structured nish. Excellent. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting
Rich and exotic aromas of crushed berries, tobacco, cedar and chocolate follow through in flavor. Full body, rich and intense tannins and a flavorful finish. Better after 2021.
This is deliciously ripe, with warm plum, fig and boysenberry reduction notes coursing through, inlaid liberally with melted black licorice, warm fruitcake and sweet tobacco accents. There's juicy energy buried as well, allowing everything to linger for a while on the finish. Rock solid. Best from 2022 through 2038. 225 cases made.
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About the producer
Ch. Branon, one of Pessac-Léognan’s most elusive wines, comes from a one-hectare, southeast-facing vineyard. With vines averaging 70 years, it produces just 6,000 bottles annually. Since 2014, Paul Garcin has embraced biodynamics, refining its precision with gentler extractions and soft ageing.